Installation for producing a textile web-shaped material and method for producing a textile web-shaped material

ABSTRACT

An installation for producing a textile web-shaped material includes a device for parallelizing fibers, a transport device for transporting the textile web-shaped material in transport direction, a device for flow-through treating the textile web-shaped material with a gaseous medium, and a textile padder for applying a binding agent to the textile web-shaped material. A transport deflection device deflects the textile web-shaped material around the device for flow-through treating the textile web-shaped material and/or around the textile padder.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/891,248 filed on Nov. 13, 2015, which is the U.S. National Stage of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2014/059836, filed on May 14, 2014, which claims the benefit of Germany Patent Application No. 10 2013 208 906.6, filed May 14, 2013.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to an installation for producing a textile web-shaped material and to a method for producing a textile web-shaped material.

An installation for producing a textile web-shaped material are known which comprise at least one device for parallelizing fibers and at least one transport device for transporting the textile web-shaped material in transport direction. Further, such installations preferably comprise consolidating devices for consolidating the textile web-shaped material. However, for different textile web-shaped materials, use is made of different installations comprising different devices. This makes it necessary e.g. to modify these installations and to exchange various devices.

Nonwovens are made from polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene or viscose. Nonwovens can be chemically or thermally bonded, needle punched or water jet bonded.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the invention to provide an installation and a method for producing a textile web-shaped material, wherein said installation and respectively method shall be flexible in use.

The invention advantageously provides that at least one device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material with a gaseous medium, at least one textile padder for applying a binding agent to the textile web-shaped material, and at least one deflection device are provided, wherein said deflection device can deflect the textile web-shaped material around said device for flow-through treatment and/or around said textile padder.

A textile padder is a device for applying a binding agent. Such a binding agent is used by chemically bonded nonwovens. By chemically bonded nonwovens the adhesion can be achieved by the binding agent. As binding agent synthetic binders such as elastomers and plastomers are used. These are applied to the fibrous nonwovens using for example a textile padder. The binding agent can be a foam or a liquid.

The textile padder comprises padding mangle rollers. The liquor or binding agent is either located in the trough located in front of the padding mangle rollers or directly in the padder nip. The excess liquor is squeezed out by the padding mangle rollers.

After the binding agent is applied to the nonwoven heat has to be applied. This can be done in a dryer. Also curing devices can be used after the dryer for curing the nonwoven. A curing device is a heating device for heat-curing the binder-coated nonwoven. The heat transfer in the heating device can be a thermal conduction, thermal convection or thermal radiation. The heating device can be a heating oven. The nonwoven can be guided through the heating device. The heating device makes sure that the temperature of the nonwoven do not fall below a predetermined temperature so that the nonwoven can be cured. Some heating devices that can be used for this purpose are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,239, incorporated herein by reference.

A deflection device can at least comprise a simple roll which can deflect the web-shaped material to bypass the device for flow-through treatment and/or said textile padder. The deflection device can also comprise additionally a transport belt which helps to bypass the device for flow-through treatment and/or said textile padder.

As an alternative, the deflection device can also comprise at least one transport belt which can be pivoted to defect the web-shaped material to bypass the device for flow-through treatment and/or said textile padder.

The present invention has the advantage that the installation is very flexible. Thus, the installation can be used as an installation comprising a device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material or, alternatively, as an installation comprising a textile padder, or, by way of a further alternative, as an installation comprising both said device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material and the textile padder. Thus, the installation can be quickly adapted to the demands.

The device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material can be arranged in transport direction behind the textile padder.

The at least one transport deflection device can be adjustable in such a manner that the textile web-shaped material can be deflected around the textile padder and can be passed through the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material, wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material can be used as a thermobonding device.

The at least one transport deflection device can be adjustable in such a manner that the textile web-shaped material can be passed both through the device for flow-through treatment and through the textile padder, wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material can be used as a dryer.

If the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is arranged in transport direction behind the textile padder, the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material can be used, on the one hand, as a thermobonding device if the textile web-shaped material is guided around the textile padder, and, on the other hand, if the textile web-shaped material is passed through the textile padder, the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material, which is arranged there behind, can be used as a dryer.

A thermobonding device is a device wherein, during the flow-through treatment e.g. by means of air, the textile web-shaped material passed through this device will be heated to a temperature above the melting temperature of individual fibers existing in the textile web-shaped material, so that the nonwoven will be consolidated in the process.

The device for flow-through treatment of the web-shaped material can comprise at least one deflection device by which the textile web-shaped material treated by said device can be guided, for cooling, out of the device or, alternatively, can be deflected to the device for curing. The textile web-shaped material can be transported without cooling from the device for flow-through treatment to the device for curing.

Between the device for flow-through treatment and the device for curing, a heating channel can be arranged through which the web-shaped material can be transported with the aid of the transport device. The heating channel is also a heating device which has the form of a channel. The heat transfer in the heating channel can be by thermal conduction, thermal convection or thermal radiation.

The device for flow-through treatment can also be arranged in transport direction before the textile padder, wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material can be used as a thermobonding device.

If the installation comprises still further consolidation devices, it can also be provided that both the device for flow-through treatment and the textile padder can be passed by with the aid of the transport deflection device, i.e. the textile web-shaped material can be deflected both around the device for flow-through treatment and around the textile padder.

Further, the invention advantageously provides a method for producing a textile web-shaped material comprising the following method steps:

transporting the textile web-shaped material through an installation comprising at least one device for parallelizing fibers, at least one device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material, and at least one textile padder, and

wherein the textile web-shaped material can be guided, by at least one transport deflection device, around the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material and/or the textile padder.

The textile web-shaped material can be passed through the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material and can be deflected around the textile padder, wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is usable and respectively is used as a thermobonding device.

The textile web-shaped material can be guided through the textile padder and be guided around the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material.

The textile web-shaped material can be passed through the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material and then through the textile padder, wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is used as a thermobonding device for preconsolidation.

The textile web-shaped material can be passed through the textile padder and then through the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material, wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is used as a dryer.

The textile web-shaped material treated by the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material can be guided, with the aid of a deflection device, to a device for curing, wherein the textile web-shaped material is passed, preferably without cooling, to the device for curing.

The textile web-shaped material treated by the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material can be guided, with the aid of a deflection device, directly out of the device.

The device for parallelizing fibers can be a carding unit or a carding machine. The device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material can be a thermobonding device or a dryer.

The textile padder can be a foulard.

The transport device can comprise one or a plurality of transport belts.

The device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material by a gaseous treatment medium, preferably air, comprises at least one drum having a gas-permeable drum casing, wherein the drum casing is at least partially covered by the textile web-shaped material to be transported in the circumferential direction of the drum, and wherein a vacuum can be applied in the interior of the drum. Further, there is provided a treatment chamber at least partially surrounding the drum wherein, upon application of the vacuum in the interior of the drum, at least a part of the gaseous treatment medium will flow from the treatment chamber through the textile web-shaped material arranged on the drum casing and through the gas-permeable drum casing into the interior of the drum.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Hereunder, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in greater detail with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings, the following is schematically shown:

FIG. 1 shows an installation for producing a textile web-shaped material,

FIG. 2 schematically shows the passage of the textile web-shaped material through the installation according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 schematically shows an alternative passage of the textile web-shaped material through the installation according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 shows an alternative installation for producing a textile web-shaped material,

FIG. 5 shows a further alternative installation for producing a textile web-shaped material,

FIG. 6 shows a device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material,

FIG. 7 shows a textile padder with binding agent directly in the nip,

FIG. 8 shows an alternative textile padder with a trough.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an installation 1 for producing a textile web-shaped material. In said installation, fibers will be fed from a fiber supply device 2 into a device 4 for parallelization of fibers. The device 4 for parallelization of fibers preferably is a carding unit or a carding machine. In this device 4, the fibers will be parallelized. There is produced a pile which can be a textile web-shaped material 7.

The textile web-shaped material 7 will be conveyed, via transport devices 6 and 8 which in the illustrated exemplary embodiment are transport belts, to a textile padder 10. Preferably, the textile padder 10 is a foulard. The textile padder 10 is a device for applying a binding agent or liquor. The textile padder 10 comprises padding mangle rollers. The liquor or binding agent is either located in the trough located in front of the padding mangle rollers as shown in FIG. 8 or directly in the padder nip as shown in FIG. 7. The excess liquor is squeezed out by the padding mangle rollers.

Said transport device 8 is preferably deflectable by means of a transport deflection device 9. Thus, the transport device 8, i.e. the transport belt, can be adjusted. In this manner, the textile web-shaped material 7 can be introduced into the textile padder 10 or, alternately, be guided around the textile padder 10. In the process of guiding the textile web-shaped material 7 around the textile padder 10, the textile web-shaped material 7 will be guided via the transport device 8 to the transport device 12. In the illustrated embodiment, this is represented in interrupted lines.

In the illustrated embodiment, the textile web-shaped material 7 is passed, via transport device 8, to the textile padder 10 because the transport device 8 has been adjusted with the aid of the transport deflection device in such a manner that the textile web-shaped material 7 will be guided directly to the textile padder 10.

After application of the binding agent within the textile padder 10, the textile web-shaped material 7 will be passed into a contact or cylinder dryer 15. The contact or cylinder dryer 15 comprises a plurality of heated cylinders around which the textile web-shaped material will be guided for drying.

If the transport deflection device 9 has been adjusted in such a manner that the textile padder 10 will be passed by, also the textile web-shaped material 7 will be deflected around the contact or cylinder dryer 15. In this alternative exemplary embodiment, the textile web-shaped material 7 will be guided via transport device 12 around the textile padder 10 and the contact or cylinder dryer 15.

After the textile web-shaped material 7 has passed through the contact or cylinder dryer 15, the textile web-shaped material 7 will be guided via a transport device 16 to a device 19 for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material 7 by a gaseous medium. Also in the case where the textile web-shaped material 7 has been deflected around the textile padder 10 and the contact or cylinder dryer 15, the textile web-shaped material 7 will be guided via transport device 16 to said device 19 for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material 7 by a gaseous medium.

The device 19 for flow-through treatment comprises a casing 24. Internally of casing 24, a drum 18 is arranged. Drum 18 is gas-permeable. The gas-permeability of drum 18 is effected by perforations in the drum casing. Drum 18 can be rotatable around the drum axis 29. Drum axis 29 is supported in casing 24. Drum 18 is surrounded by a treatment chamber 26. Within the treatment chamber, a gaseous medium, preferably air, is arranged. The textile web-shaped material 7 will be entered, via a deflection roll 20, into treatment chamber 26 and will be guided over at least a part of the drum casing. By rotating the drum 18, the textile web-shaped material 7 will be transported in transport direction 70. When leaving the treatment chamber 26, the textile web-shaped material 7 will be deflected around a further deflection roller 22 and be conveyed further in transport direction 70 by means of a transport device 32.

Within treatment chamber 26, a gaseous medium, preferably air, is arranged. In the drum interior 28 of drum 18, there is preferably applied a vacuum so that the gaseous medium will be guided from treatment chamber 26 through the textile web-shaped material 7 and into the perforated drum casing of drum 18 into the interior. In this manner, the gaseous medium will flow through the textile web-shaped material 7. Preferably, the gaseous medium is heated so that the textile web-shaped material 7 can be dried and/or that even melt fibers arranged in the textile web-shaped material can be caused to melt.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment wherein the textile web-shaped material 7 has been guided via the textile padder 10, the device 19 for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is used as a dryer. Due to the arrangement of the drum 18 and the deflecting roll 20 and respectively 22, the illustrated device 19 for flow-through treatment which is used as a dryer can also be referred to as an omega dryer.

After the textile web-shaped material 7 has been guided out of the device 19 for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material, the textile web-shaped material 7 will be rolled onto a drum within a rolling-up device 30. Using the installation according to FIG. 1, a nonwoven can be produced.

In the case where both the textile padder 10 and the contact or cylinder dryer 15 are to be passed by, the device 19 for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is used as a thermobonding device. In this case, there is used a textile web-shaped material 7 comprising melt fibers. Further, the temperature of the gaseous medium flowing through the textile web-shaped material 7 in the device 19 for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is selected in such a manner that the melt fibers arranged in the textile web-shaped material will melt and will thus consolidate the textile web-shaped material into a nonwoven.

In FIG. 2, there is once more schematically illustrated the passage of the textile web-shaped material 7 which is guided through the textile padder 10 and the device 19 for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material. The transport deflection device 9 is adjusted to the effect that the textile web-shaped material 7 will be guided both through the textile padder 10 and the device 19 for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material.

Illustrated in FIG. 3 is an alternative where the transport deflection device 9 has been adjusted in such a manner that the device 10 for applying the binding agent will be passed by and the textile web-shaped material 7 will be directly guided to the device 19 for flow-through treatment. Both in FIG. 2 and in FIG. 3, not all of the cylinders 14 of the contact or cylinder dryer 15 are shown. Further, not all of the elements of the device 19 for flow-through treatment are shown.

The contact or cylinder dryer 15 does not need to be provided. For example, the textile web-shaped material 7 can be guided directly from the textile padder 10 into the device 19 for flow-through treatment.

In FIG. 4, an installation for producing a textile web-shaped material 7 is shown wherein the device 19 for flow-through treatment is arranged in transport direction 70 before the textile padder 10. The installation 1 according to FIG. 4 comprises, as is the case also in the installation 1 according to FIG. 1, a fiber supply device 2, a device 4 for parallelizing fibers, a device 19 for flow-through treatment, a textile padder 10, a contact or cylinder dryer 15 and a rolling-up device 30.

Additionally, the installation 1 comprises, in transport direction 70 behind the contact or cylinder dryer 15, a flow-through dryer 40 having two drums.

The fibers supplied by the fiber supply device 2 will be parallelized by means of the device 4 for parallelizing fibers which preferably is a carding unit or a carding machine. The thus produced pile can be guided by a transport device 6 and a further transport device 43 to the device 19 for flow-through treatment. Alternatively, the textile web-shaped material 7 can be guided by said transport device 6 and said transport device 43 and also via the transport device 44 directly to the textile padder 10. There are provided transport deflection devices 42, 46 and 47 by means of which the transport devices 43 and 44 can be adjusted in such a manner that the textile web-shaped material can be deflected around the device 19 for flow-through treatment.

In the illustrated embodiment, the textile web-shaped material 7 will be deflected around the device 19 for flow-through treatment and be guided directly to the textile padder 10. However, the transport deflection device 42, 46 and 47 can also be adjusted in such a manner that the textile web-shaped material 7 will be guided from the device 4 for parallelizing fibers to the device 19 for flow-through treatment and, there, will be treated by means of a gaseous medium. After exiting from the device 19 for flow-through treatment, the textile web-shaped material 7 can then be guided further to the textile padder 10.

Behind the textile padder 10 in transport direction 70, the textile web-shaped material will be guided through the contact or cylinder dryer 15 and the flow-through dryer 40 and then, in the rolling-up device 30, be wound onto a drum.

It is also possible to provide further transport deflection devices, not shown in FIG. 4, so that the textile web-shaped material 7 will be deflected alternatively around the textile padder 10 and/or the contact or cylinder dryer 15 and/or the flow-through dryer 40. In this manner, it would also be possible, in an installation according to FIG. 1, to guide the textile web-shaped material merely through the device 19 for flow-through treatment and not through the textile padder 10. If, according to FIG. 4, the textile web-shaped material 7 is guided through the device 19 for flow-through treatment prior to being supplied to the textile padder 10, the textile web-shaped material can be consolidated by means of a thermobonding method.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative installation for producing a textile web-shaped material 7. The installation according to FIG. 5 is very similar to the installation according to FIG. 1. This installation also comprises a device 19 for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material which in transport direction 70 is arranged behind the textile padder 10. The textile web-shaped material will be guided from the supply device 2 through the device 4 for parallelizing fibers via transport devices 6 and 8 either to the textile padder 10 or alternatively around the textile padder 10. For this purpose, the transport deflection device 9 is used.

When the textile web-shaped material 7 has been guided through the textile padder 10, the textile web-shaped material 7 can be guided through the contact or cylinder dryer 15, to then be guided by means of the transport device 17 to the device 19 for flow-through treatment.

In the case where the textile web-shaped material 7 is deflected around the textile padder 10, the textile web-shaped material 7 can be guided, via the transport devices 12 and 16, directly to the device 19 for flow-through treatment.

The device 19 for flow-through treatment is similar to the device 19 for flow-through treatment according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4. The device 19 for flow-through treatment again comprises a casing 24, a treatment chamber 26, a drum 18, an interior 28 of drum 18 and two deflection rollers 20, 22. Additionally, however, the device 19 for flow-through treatment according to FIG. 5 comprises a deflection device 66. This can be seen in FIG. 6 in which the device 19 for flow-through treatment of FIG. 5 is shown in greater detail. Said deflection device 66 can be adjusted in such a manner that the textile web-shaped material 7 that has passed through the device 19 for flow-through treatment will be guided further on the deflection roller 22 or, alternatively, to a deflection roller 67, and from there to a device 62 for curing. When the textile web-shaped material 7 has been guided through the textile padder 10, said deflection device 66 will be adjusted in such a manner that the textile web-shaped material 7 will be conveyed to the device 62 for curing. Between the device 19 for flow-through treatment and the device 62 for curing, there is preferably arranged a heating channel 60. The textile web-shaped material 7, when being guided to the device 62 for curing, is preferably guided to the device 62 for curing without being cooled. In the process, the textile web-shaped material 7 will be guided within the casing 24 of the device 19 for flow-through treatment and then through the heating channel 60 to the device 62 for curing.

In the case where the textile web-shaped material 7 has been deflected around the textile padder 10, said deflection device 66 will be adjusted in such a manner that the textile web-shaped material 7 will be guided, via deflection roller 22, out of the device for flow-through treatment and then, via transport devices, directly to the device 30 for rolling up the textile material 7.

The device 19 for flow-through treatment can further comprise a flap, not shown, in the discharge area for adapting the air flow to the two different traveling modes.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show alternative embodiments for a textile padder. In FIG. 7 there is shown a textile padder 75 in which the textile web-shaped material 7 is guided by a deflection roller 80 into a nip 84 of wangle rollers 82, 83 of the textile padder, wherein a binding agent 85 is located in the trough located in front of the padding mangle rollers or directly in the nip of the wangle rollers, for applying the binding agent to the textile web-shaped material.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of a textile padder 76, in which the textile web-shaped material 7 is guided by a deflection roller 91 into a trough 92 containing the binding agent 85, wherein the textile web-shaped material 7 is guided through the trough by another deflection roller 94 for applying the binding agent to the textile web-shaped material. The textile web-shaped material exits the trough 92 and is guided by another deflection roller 95 toward the nip or two rollers 96 and 97 which remove excess binding agent from the textile web-shaped material and pass the textile web-shaped material 7 on for further processing.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and that the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims. 

1. An installation for producing a textile web-shaped material, comprising a device for parallelizing fibers; a transport device for transporting the textile web-shaped material in a transport direction; a device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material with a gaseous medium; a textile padder for applying a binding agent to the textile web-shaped material; and a transport deflection device constructed to selectively deflect the textile web-shaped material around said textile padder; wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is arranged downstream of the textile padder; wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material selectively comprises one of 1) a thermobonding device, when the transport deflection device deflects the textile web-shaped material around the textile padder and passes said material through the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material, and 2) a dryer when the transport deflection device passes the textile web-shaped material both through the textile padder and through the device for flow-through treatment.
 2. The installation according to claim 1, further comprising a curing device, wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the web-shaped material comprises a deflection roller arranged at an exit of the device for flow-through treatment to guide the textile web-shaped material out from the device for flow through treatment and a deflection device constructed and arranged upstream from said deflection roller and which is adjustable to guide the textile web-shaped material treated by said flow-through treatment device to the curing device prior to reaching the said deflection roller.
 3. The installation according to claim 2, wherein the textile web-shaped material is transportable without cooling from the device for flow-through treatment to the curing device.
 4. The installation according to claim 2, further including a heating channel, wherein, between the device for flow-through treatment and the curing device, the heating channel is arranged through which the web-shaped material is transportable with the aid of the transport device.
 5. A method for producing a textile web-shaped material comprising the steps of: transporting the textile web-shaped material through an installation comprising at least one device for parallelizing fibers, a device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material, and a textile padder for applying a binding agent, wherein the textile web-shaped material can be guided, by a transport deflection device, around the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material and/or the textile padder.
 6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the textile web-shaped material is passed through the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material and is guided around the textile padder, wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is used as a thermobonding device.
 7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the textile web-shaped material is guided through the textile padder and is guided around the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material.
 8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the textile web-shaped material is passed through the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material and then through the textile padder, wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is used as a thermobonding device for preconsolidation.
 9. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the textile web-shaped material is passed through the textile padder and then through the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material, wherein the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is used as a dryer.
 10. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the textile web-shaped material treated by the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is guided, with the aid of a deflection device, to a device for curing, wherein the textile web-shaped material is passed, preferably without cooling, to the device for curing.
 11. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the textile web-shaped material treated by the device for flow-through treatment of the textile web-shaped material is guided, with the aid of a deflection device, directly out of the device for flow-through treatment. 